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Thursday, 8 May 2014

Papercut playing

Back in February I mentioned that I bought Emily Hogarth's wonderful book on papercutting. I've had it for a
while now, and though I've been determined to try my hand at papercutting since
I got it, I'd just never really made the time! Well, over the last couple of weeks I've
deliberately sat with my sketchbook and tried to come up with some papercutting
ideas. I've always quite liked working with silhouettes, but trying to put
together lots of elements in a way that would cut easily wasn't as
straightforward as I'd thought! Still it's been a learning process, and I've
certainly had fun with it.

The first sketch that I liked the look of was one of an Irish setter, which I thought would make a lovely Christmas present (I know, I know, it's May and I mentioned the 'C' word!) for my in-laws. I did a quick tester to get used to using the knife and scissor combo, and to see how my sketches would translate before working up a more complex version on nicer paper.

Tester cut - simplified design but loving the effect!

Added some complexity and fancier paper - I think it looks almost classy!

Next I decided to go for something a bit more complex based on a few cat and plant sketches I'd worked up from my sketchbook. As usual I dived straight in at the deep end rather than giving myself time to get used to a new technique, but after a bit of time and maybe some cursing, I managed to finish my 'wild cat' papercut as well.

Original sketch on the right - cutting in progress on the reverse on the left

Completed grumpy cat! I like his attitude

I'm very pleased with how they turned out overall, though they certainly do require a lot of patience. The drawing and designing is definitely the more fun part for me, the cutting not so much - though you can get into sort of a cutting zone when you are working. Eternal vigilance is essential though, as one slip of the blade and you suddenly have a three-legged cat or something (I may be speaking from experience here). Now just to carefully glue them down onto the backing paper and get them ready to frame.

Lessons were certainly learned in this foray into a new craft.The main lesson
I learned, even though it was made very clear in the book, was that I need a
very sharp cutting blade. I just picked up my nearest craft knife to have a go at the first dog attempt (goodness knows how long that blade has been in the knife), and it did made
things difficult and resulted in a few rips. Oh and of course a self-healing cutting mat is ESSENTIAL. Still, I wanted to at least see if
I enjoyed the process and the results before trying some fresh blades, and boy does it make a big difference!

Have you tried papercutting before, and how do you like it? I'd love to hear from you if you have any top tips to share!

I saw the most wonderful papercutting work at Art in Action last year, by Sarah Morpeth I think. I bought one of her kits but have yet to try it out. Your post has spurred me to dig it out and have a go :)

About Me

Hello! My name is Jules and I just love to create stories, quirky characters and lovely things from fabric & thread and pen & paper. This blog will be a little diary of my creations, and a record of my progress. I'd love for you to pop in and visit me now and then! x